SPONTANEOUS
ABORTION
In
medical language, spontaneous abortion is defined
as the “expulsion of the products of conception without
medical or mechanical intervention”. In lay terms,
it is known as miscarriage. How frequently this occurs
is unknown. That is because most women who experience spontaneous
abortion do so very early in pregnancy. Often they are
without symptoms and therefore unaware of being pregnant
in the first place, and thus the subsequent miscarriage.
Among
recognized pregnancies, the rate of spontaneous abortion
or “miscarriage” is said to be about 15%. Vaginal
bleeding and uterine cramping are common symptoms preceding
a spontaneous abortion.
Certain
characteristics can increase the risk of spontaneous abortion.
These include advancing maternal or paternal age, higher
number of gravidity (pregnancies), and a history of previous
miscarriages. Chromosomal abnormalities are the most common
known cause of first trimester loss. In addition to genetic
mutations, recurrent spontaneous abortions can result from
a number of other factors. These may include an incompetent
cervix (abnormally prone to dilate), hormonal dysfunction,
or cervix/uterus scars resulting from a sexually transmitted
disease. Structural abnormalities can also cause consecutive
miscarriages. A uterus that is markedly misshapen by a
birth defect or multiple benign tumors will not sustain
a growing fetus.
